Magna carta for daycare workers pushed

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City South District Representative Eduardo “Edu” Rama wants daycare workers in the country to receive adequate pay, security of tenure, and other benefits.

Rama filed House Bill 6883 or the proposed magna carta of daycare workers to ensure that social and economic welfare of daycare workers are protected.

“This legislative measure has long been overdue. In fact, various daycare workers have spoken to me regarding the need for a legislative measure to empower and protect them. It is our duty as legislators, to ensure that we listen to our constituents and do what we can to uplift them,” said Rama.

The proposed bill seeks to adopt policies that will improve the social and economic welfare of daycare workers, who are charged with the vital role of providing preschool education and social development services to children.

Rama noted that daycare workers, who only receive a small honorarium, “are primarily engaged in the provision of early child development services and programs such as care, social development, education, protection, and other needs of children aged four years and below in all government-sponsored daycare centers.”

“There is a need to empower and develop those who dedicate their lives in cultivating and forming the youth,” said Rama.

Under the said bill, all daycare workers in the country will have two plantilla positions Daycare Worker I and Daycare Worker II, with a salary grade 6 (P17,553) and salary grade 8 (P19,744), respectively.

A Special Personnel Selection Board (SPSB) will also be created to screen candidates and create a pool of 10 qualified applicants for possible appointments to the subject positions.

The SPSB will be composed of the local social welfare development officer as the chairperson, the punong barangay, the local health officer, the human resource management officer, and LGU members.

All qualified incumbent daycare workers hired under casual, contractual, and job order employment status shall be automatically considered candidates and given priority for appointment to permanent daycare positions.

Aside from the proposed compensation, daycare workers will also get overtime pay, hazard allowance, and subsistence allowance as an additional benefit.

“Added benefits shall include an automatic membership of these workers to the government’s mandatory monthly contributions for GSIS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG, which at the present, most of them are paying their contributions voluntarily,” Rama added.

Under Section 14 of HB 6883, the amount for the salaries and benefits of daycare workers will be charged from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) now called the national tax allocation (NTA) and the Special Education Fund of the LGUs concerned. (FREEMAN)